Meditations - Oxford Worlds Classics
Marcus Aurelius, Robin Hard, Christopher Gill

New Edition

Paperback (15 Sep 2011)


Publishers Synopsis

Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to live ... while you have life in you, while you still can, make yourself good.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) is a private notebook of philosophical reflections, written by a Roman emperor probably on a military campaign in Germany. In short, highly charged comments, Marcus draws on Stoic philosophy to confront challenges that he felt acutely, but which are also shared by all human beings - the looming presence of death, making sense of ones social role and projects, the moral significance of the universe.

They bring us closer to the personality of the emperor, who is often disillusioned with his own status and with human activities in general; they are both a historical document and a remarkable spiritual diary. This translation by Robin Hard brings out the eloquence and universality of Marcus thoughts.


The introduction and notes by Christopher Gill place the Meditations firmly in the ancient philosophical context. A selection of Marcus correspondence with his tutor Fronto broadens the picture of the emperor as a person and thinker.


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Book information

ISBN: 9780199573202
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Pub date: 15 Sep 2011
Edition: New Edition
DEWEY: 188
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Sales rank: 4353
Number of pages: 176
Weight: 158g
Height: 196mm
Width: 130mm
Spine width: 14mm